Spotlight
by starsxhearts23
Summary: This is their story; these are their snapshots: how Adam Cole and Ingrid Ferrari fell in love while he was training her for a role in a film about wrestling, directed by her childhood best friend. Told in prompts. NOT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.
1. That's Starting to Get Annoying

_Hi all, welcome to my new story! This is going to be about Adam Cole - I've really taken a liking to him lately! It also features my new OC, Ingrid Ferrari._

 _This story is NOT going to be told in chronological order; I wanted to try something different with this one, by writing through a prompt list I found on Tumblr. Each entry is only going to be about 500-600 words (one page), but there's going to be over 100 of them._

 _I'm going to be using kayfabe names and, most importantly, names I've made up for wrestler's family members - even though wrestlers like the Young Bucks (who will also be featured heavily here) give us a lot of glimpses into their non-wrestling and family life, I'm a believer that their families should stay as anonymous as possible._

 _ENJOY and let me know what you think by leaving a comment! There needs to be more Adam Cole love around here :)_

* * *

 ** _"_** ** _That's starting to get annoying."_**

Ingrid felt like she was killing herself. Throughout the last year – more, even – she had been testing her body's physical limits. She knew going into this that wrestling was no joke; she, of all people associated with the film, knew this because she had been watching since she was ten years old. She had tried to prepare herself mentally for the intense physical training to get in shape; tried to prepare herself for the emotional toll of travelling, not seeing her family, training day in and day out for perfect scenes and perfect matches.

Then there was Adam Cole. Adam fucking Cole, who weaseled himself into one of the Head Trainer positions by constantly watching what she was doing in the ring and telling the old Head Trainer that it was wrong, all wrong. Adam fucking Cole, who barely cracked a smile when she spoke to him. He'd never show his contentment or satisfaction because Ingrid was convinced he didn't want her seeing him impressed with what she was doing in the ring. He was perfectly fine with other wrestlers – everybody loved him and raved about him, telling Ingrid how lucky she was to be learning from him – but she wasn't so convinced yet.

"Give us one more spinebuster, then we'll take a 15 minute break," Matt Jackson called out, standing next to Adam with his arms crossed. "Give us some pizazz, Ingrid. Make it theatrical."

Ingrid had no problems listening to Matt or his brother Nick. For all the shenanigans they got up to in the ring, they were consummate professionals, giving constructive criticism and advice that Ingrid really took to heart, and they would definitely be credited as trainers in the movie.

Ingrid eyed her opponent, a tall, blonde wrestler who was basically being her ragdoll for the afternoon. Ingrid would have felt sorry if Cassidy hadn't told her she'd been doing this for years, and helps train women wrestlers on the independent circuit. She tried to picture an Arn Anderson spinebuster before delivering one to Cassidy, rotating the perfect amount and slamming her down with a loud thud.

She heard Matt and Nick holler out their happiness, and one of them even clapped a few times. "Nice one, Ingrid!" Matt yelled out. "Rotation was perfect. Keep that it mind for when you have to do it on camera. Take a 15, then we'll talk."

Ingrid shook Cassidy's hand, stepping out of the ring. She ignored Adam until he approached her with a towel. "Dry yourself off," he said in the most monotone voice, barely looking at her.

"What did you think of the spinebuster?"

Adam shrugged his shoulders, and in the same monotonous voice answered, "It was good."

Ingrid felt like punching him. **"That's starting to get annoying."**

"What is?"

Ingrid rolled her eyes. "You being so indifferent to everything. That was a better spinebuster than you've ever done."

Adam looked taken aback, but nonetheless smirked at Ingrid's boldness. "Oh you think so?"

"I've watched your matches. I _know_ so," she said as she finished wiping the sweat off her brow, shoving the towel against Adam's chest before walking away.


	2. Hey hey, calm down

**_"Hey, hey, calm down. They can't hurt you anymore."_**

Ingrid looked out the window warily at the paparazzi waiting outside for her. There were at least ten, all with giant cameras. They had been there since she and Adam got their appetizers; somebody at the restaurant undoubtedly tipped them off, which is why they were all outside.

"What's the matter?" Adam asked, his fingers grazing over the back of her hand.

"We have company," Ingrid grumbled.

"Again?" Adam's head darted towards the restaurant's front doors. "Jesus Christ. They're everywhere."

"What are we going to do?" Ingrid asked.

"Don't worry. We'll get the hostess to call us a cab and meet us right out front," Adam said. "If they try anything I'll cut a bitch."

Ingrid couldn't help but smile at Adam's comment, but she also couldn't help the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach that most definitely did not come from the food they just ate. "How can you still put up with me?"

"I don't _put up_ with you, Ingrid."

"I worded that wrong – this isn't normal. The fact that they followed us here isn't normal. And if they didn't follow us here, the fact that someone called them isn't normal. What if that one guy is here again? The guy who tried to get into the -"

 **"Hey, hey, calm down. They can't hurt you anymore.** I'm here for you, you know. I'm not just a hot piece of ass," he smiled, trying to lighten her mood. "I worry about you when I'm not around, but you have nothing to worry about when I'm around. I'm here for you."

"Adam -"

"I'm _here for you_. I'm not going to let anybody hurt you," he said definitively.

It was amazing how a few simple words and a specific tone of voice calmed her considerably, more than she thought it would. Adam was protective, that was for sure – ever since a paparazzo had virtually broken into their training facility and harassed Ingrid in the locker room. That was before they even started dating.

The flashes started immediately, right as Ingrid and Adam walked through the door. He held on to her hand tightly, leading the way through the crowd and the flashes.

 _Ingrid! Ingrid! How you doin' tonight?_

 _Looking good Ingrid!_

 _How was dinner, lovebirds?_

"Give us room to walk, guys," Adam said, noticing that Ingrid had brought her hand up to shield her face from all the flashes.

As Adam opened the backseat door and let Ingrid slip into the car first, he felt the giant lens of a camera push against his arm, getting a shot of Ingrid sitting in the backseat. "Hey!" he said in the loudest, most intimidating voice he could muster. "Back the fuck off!"

The paparazzo seemed intimidated enough, bringing his camera back to face to snap more pictures of Adam's angry face. "Fuckin' unbelievable," Adam muttered before slipping into the cab, urging the driver to get the hell out of there.


	3. You Can't Just Sit There All Day

**_"You can't just sit there all day."_**

Adam didn't know what possessed him to take on this role. He honestly had no idea. Yet he signed on the dotted line.

Was it intrigue? Probably. The thought of being a trainer for a movie about wrestling was enticing, if only because he wanted more films about wrestling to be made. To have his name attached to one was a definite perk.

Was it masochism? Partly. He'd have to take on a much bigger workload, as the star of the movie was meant to really live the life of a wrestler while training and filming. As if he wasn't busy enough already, with his schedule for Ring of Honour and his schedule for New Japan Pro Wrestling already taking up a lot of his time, he was adding this to his repertoire.

Was it Ingrid? Most definitely.

He didn't know what exactly it was about Ingrid that drew her to him. She was quiet and polite – at first, anyway – but had a fire in her eyes whenever she watched wrestling or talked about it at length. Now that he had gotten to know her more – and gotten on her nerves practically every single day – he knew her to be sarcastic, witty, incredibly passionate about what she believed in and ready to fight to the death for it.

Ingrid still hadn't been in an actual ring yet. He and the Young Bucks – sometimes Kenny Omega, sometimes other wrestlers who they happened upon on any given day – had to get her into shape first. She was nearly there. Regardless, Adam was tired of waiting.

"Hey, Ingrid!" he called out to her from inside a ring. She took this as her cue to enter the ring. " **You can't just sit there all day.** Run the ropes with Tyler."

"What?" She looked scared to death. "Adam, you _know_ I've never run ropes before."

"It's just running ropes," he egged her on. "All you need to do is not crash into each other. Tyler at least knows how."

Ingrid gave a terrified look to Tyler, who was just shy of 6'5", but he didn't notice at all. He walked over to a section of the ring, and Ingrid was forced to go to another, shaking in her boots – if she crashed into him it would probably be the end of her.

He started to run the ropes and she did too, but they didn't last long before Ingrid lost her senses and got in his way. Luckily, Tyler had enough senses to stop and grab her protectively instead of body-check her out of the way. She was grateful, but still terrified.

"Congratulations, you lasted all of three laps," Adam said.

Ingrid gave him a dirty look. "I've never done this before."

"This is the simplest thing you can do in a ring. You weren't even bouncing off the ropes properly."

"BECAUSE YOU NEVER TAUGHT ME!" Ingrid exploded. "I don't know why you have your sights set on embarrassing me every chance you get but I'll be fucking damned if you injure me before I can even get started filming," she huffed, glaring at him before making her way out of the ring as fast as possible.

It was only afterwards, in the empty women's washroom at the training facility, that Ingrid began to cry from the embarrassment.


	4. I'm Too Sober for This!

**_"I'm too sober for this."_**

Ingrid couldn't come to terms with what was happening around her. It was all too much to take in. She was in a room full of movie starts – Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Steven Spielberg, Emma Watson – and hadn't come to terms that she was among them. She was sitting, eating, drinking, amongst _all_ of them. Little Ingrid Ferrari, from Toronto, daughter of a teacher and a nurse, was in a room full of people she watched in movies growing up; people she idolized; people she wanted to emulate. Some of them even approached her, congratulating her on what an amazing movie she and Gavin made and how her performance was nothing short of spectacular, the best performance of the decade, how she set the bar for all new young actresses in the industry, and _wow, isn't your date just so handsome_! It was all just _too much_.

Then Natalie Portman had to call her name. _'And the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama goes to…Ingrid Ferrari in Spinebuster!"_

Everything proceeded in what felt like slow motion. Ingrid could see her face on the giant screen – she looked like she had just seen a ghost. When the applause erupted, she looked beside her to see Adam, his smile stretching from ear to ear, as he clapped and began to stand up. She followed him, rising in her seat.

"You did it, baby," he said, and she was sure the camera was still pointed directly at them. "You did it!"

"What do I say? What do I do?" she asked, as if he knew the answer. Like he'd been to the Golden Globes a million times before.

He grabbed her hands and pulled her closer to him, giving her a passionate kiss before moving to her ear. "Tell them what's in your heart. You deserve this."

She kissed him again, quickly, before beginning her walk towards the stage. It was then, and only then, that she realized the room was giving her a standing ovation. Nearly everyone was on their feet. As if the feeling of just being in the room with all these movie stars _in general_ wasn't enough, this was just overwhelming. They were applauding _her_ , and her performance, and the movie, and she couldn't believe anything that was happening right now. This had to be a dream. Adam would wake her up soon and they'd have breakfast and coffee and maybe go back into bed and cuddle.

When she got up on stage and Natalie Portman handed her the Golden Globe, she looked out into the crowd of people. They were still clapping and yelling for her. Everyone's eyes were still on her as she clutched the Golden Globe between her hands in front of her. Everything in front of her was a blur – all the suits, all the dresses, all the famous faces – except for Adam, her beautiful, handsome Adam, standing in his suit and tie, clapping and whistling, a proud smile on his face.

She knew she had to start talking. If she didn't, people would probably think there was something wrong with her. "Thank you," she croaked out, a sob threatening to escape her if she didn't try extra-hard to keep it together. Backstage she knew she'd be a blubbering mess. Thankfully her makeup was waterproof. "Thank you…I…gah, I don't know what to say! **I'm too sober for this!** "

The entire room let out a collective laugh. Oddly enough, it calmed her down, probably because most people took it as their cue to sit back in their seats. As they did, her eyes focused on Adam, still staring and smiling widely.


	5. I'm Not Here To Make Friends

**_"_** ** _I'm not here to make friends."_**

* * *

"What's the matter, sweetie? Too tired to continue?" Ingrid heard the annoying voice of Adam Cole from inside the ring as she stood on the outside, getting a drink of water. It had been a grueling day of training and Ingrid could already feel her body aching – not that she would tell Adam, or anyone else, save for maybe Gavin.

"You wish," she muttered to herself as she took another gulp. She resigned to giving him a death glare instead. Clipping the top back onto the bottle, she slowly made her way back into the ring. "Let's go," she said as she entered through the ropes.

"What took you so long?" Adam asked.

"I was drinking water."

"Why'd you take so long?" he asked again. Ingrid rolled her eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me. What took you so long?"

"I don't know! I was drinking water for Christ's sake!" Ingrid exclaimed. "Staying hydrated, just like you tell me to do!"

Adam shook his head. "Don't waste my time. I'm too busy to wait on someone."

"Yeah, you've said that once or twice," Ingrid mumbled to herself. She tried her hardest not to roll her eyes again.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"What did you just say?"

"Why are you so hard on me?" Ingrid demanded before she could realize what was coming out of her mouth. "I've tried to be nice and respectful to you, and to be your friend, and -"

 **"I'm not here to make friends,"** Adam interrupted.

"Listen, I get that you hate me and see this as some sort of burden – you've made that abundantly clear. Even though you willingly signed up to do this job…whatever. That's your problem. It's just…if you're going to teach me how to wrestle, and how to look good so the movie isn't completely shit, you have to become a better teacher."

"You think I'm a bad teacher?" Adam asked incredulously. "My first day of wrestling training consisted of so many chops my chest looked like hamburger meat," he revealed. Ingrid visibly winced. "Water breaks? Like I just gave you? A complete luxury. You're lucky you can take those breaks. And you want to tell me I'm a bad teacher?"

"Can we drop it," Ingrid mumbled.

"You're damn fucking lucky that you've got _me_ to train you, alright? Let's get that straight," Adam was persistent.

" _Alright!_ " Ingrid digressed reluctantly, hands on her hips. Adam had made his point very clear, and now she just wanted to continue with the training and forgot this argument even happened. "Can we just…what do I need to do?"

"Fifty sit-ups in the middle of the ring."

" _What?_ "

"I'm waiiiitiiiiing."


	6. I Need a Place to Stay

**_"I need a place to stay."_**

* * *

Ingrid was shivering so much her body was starting to ache. After a morning of grueling training, she drove for almost five hours, right behind Adam and the Young Bucks, only to stop at a seedy motel for the night before continuing their drive tomorrow. Adam and the Bucks seemed fine, because they were used to wrestling and then getting in a car or plane for hours, but she most definitely wasn't. And of course, ever-so-lucky Ingrid managed to get the last motel room on the strip, and the heat wasn't working.

She was _cold_ , and she was _fed up_.

She wrapped herself in the poor excuse for a comforter and tried toying around with the thermostat one last time before almost punching it off the wall in fury. She did the only other thing she could think of at 2 o'clock in the morning: she put on her boots and stomped outside towards Adam's room.

She knew for a fact that Matt drove, so she wanted to leave the Bucks alone to sleep. She banged on the door for Adam's room with her hand, and her boot for good measure. "Adam! It's me!" she called out. She knew he'd be able to hear he through the cheap doors. You'd think that for Ring of Honour champions they'd get better rooms, but apparently not. Maybe this was part of her "indy wrestler experience" they kept going on and on about –

Her thoughts were interrupted by Adam fidgeting with the lock on the door before finally opening it. "What's going on?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

"Adam, please, **I need a place to stay** ," she begged, still shivering under the comforter as she stepped into his room without invitation. She immediately felt the warmth from his room and was already jealous. "The heat isn't working in my room and it's _freezing_ , the wind is coming through the window and it feels like my bones are gonna freeze and -"

"Alright alright, come on," he said, walking towards the bed. "Why didn't you come sooner?"

What a loaded question. She and Adam didn't have the best relationship. Whereas she and the Bucks immediately hit it off the bat, Adam was really hard on her in training, which she understood, but sometimes he went just the extra mile that wasn't necessary (at least in her opinion). He talked back to her, she talked back to him, and there was a lot of eye rolling. There was a definite personality clash, but in the last few weeks he had started to warm up. Ingrid didn't know what to think of it. She just assumed that the Bucks had a talk with him and he decided to actually make an effort to be nice rather than be an asshole. "I – I don't know, I thought I could last I gu-"

" _Jesus_ Ingrid, you're shaking like crazy!" he exclaimed as she stood stoic in her spot. "Get over here, and take that off."

"What?" she asked, already subconsciously taking the comforter off.

"This will do us only some good," he said, draping the comforter over the bed quickly, "but you need body heat."

Even in her fatigue, Ingrid's eyes bulged out of her head. "Body heat?"

"Come on Canada, you know body heat is the best way to warm up another body. Now get in the bed."

Again, Ingrid did exactly as she was told, slipping underneath the covers. In no time at all, she felt Adam slip in too, bringing her body flush against his so that her back was against his chest. "Adam…" she whispered.

"Just pull away when you're warm again," he mumbled as his arm draped across her body. "This is for your own good. You can thank me later."

Ingrid woke up the next morning without any sniffles, without any shakes, and without having moved positions all night.


	7. Well, that's tragic

**_"Well, that's tragic."_**

* * *

Ingrid was grateful to have the morning off to hang out with Gavin one-on-one. Though he was a constant presence they were unable to really 'talk' to each other because there were so many other people around. Ingrid knew she wasn't able to vent her frustrations to him while in the training facility. Who knew who was eavesdropping.

They settled on going to a local restaurant for brunch. Due to Ingrid's strict new diet and workout regimen, she couldn't have any of the fun stuff; no chocolate chip pancakes, no bacon, no waffles. Instead she ordered the veggie omelette and home fries – meanwhile Gavin had delicious looking eggs benedict.

"So, how are you finding it?" Gavin asked, stuffing his mouth with a piece of toast.

Ingrid couldn't help but sigh. She was tired. She knew it would all be worth it in the end, but when she was exhausted, it was hard to see that end goal. "It's alright, I guess," she said.

"Just alright? We're making a feature-length movie and it's just alright?" Gavin asked.

"I don't mean it like _that_ ," Ingrid defended herself. "And you _know_ that. I want this movie to turn out amazing for you. I still don't know why you put all your faith in me."

"Cause you're my girl, Ingrid. You have been since we were six and you sang Mary Poppins songs with me," Gavin smiled. "So, come on. Tell me what's going on."

"I'm just tired," she admitted. "I know I agreed to this and all but we've been going day in and day out with no breaks. Even when we do have so-called breaks, we're travelling…those road trips take a lot out of me. I've lost a ton of weight because of the training, which is great, but now comes the actual wrestling part, and it's just…"

"Just…?" Gavin urged.

"Adam is just so…hard on me."

Gavin rolled his eyes. **"Well, that's tragic."**

"I knew you were going to act like this."

"You have the lead role in a major Hollywood-backed film. You have three or four of the best wrestlers on the planet training you, and you're complaining?"

" _Gavin_."

"I'm allowed to tell you this because I'm your best friend, but you're acting like a spoiled brat," he said.

"That's what Adam said too," Ingrid grumbled.

"As he should! Listen, I know deep down inside you're thankful for all of this but right now you're being mopey and disinterested because there's a bump you need to get over and you're not sure if you can do it," Gavin said.

"It would help if Adam just _seemed_ to actually care about training me. I believe the Bucks when they say they're not in it for the paycheque, but for him, I'm not so sure."

"Trust me, Ingrid, he's not in it for the paycheque."

"Can you at least ask him for more nap time?" Ingrid smirked.

"Absolutely not."


	8. You're Seriously Like a Man-Child

**_"You're seriously like a man-child."_**

* * *

As Ingrid stirred around in the kitchen, preparing a hot pot of chicken soup, she looked out the window at the end of the galley kitchen to see the skyscraper upon skyscraper. She had gone to see Adam wrestle at a show in New York City, and they were staying in an AirBnb. He had wrestled a grueling match last night, and he had woken up extremely sore and in pain – paired with the fact that he wrestled sick with a cold, he definitely wasn't feeling well the morning after.

Just as she was pouring a glass of orange juice, she heard Adam's strained voice. "Ingrriiiiiiiiiid!"

"Coming, babe!" she called back, placing the juice and hot bowl on soup on a tray before walking towards the bedroom. She found Adam exactly how she had left him: his entire body sprawled out on the bed, his head face first in the pillow.

 **"You're seriously like a man child,"** she giggled. "I made you some soup," she informed him, holding the tray in front of her as she stood beside the bed, staring down at Adam.

He lifted his head up momentarily, seeing the steam from the soup rise from the bowl. "You're the best, you know that?"

"I've been told once or twice."

As Adam rolled over and sat up in the bed, he groaned and winced in pain. Ingrid placed the tray on the end table, making sure Adam was comfortable, bringing the comforter up to cover his legs and fluffing up the pillows so he could sit up. Once he was tucked in, she set up the tray, extending its legs so it was sitting upright, right in front of Adam's face.

"Come sit, baby," Adam said, grabbing the spoon. "Unless you're scared of getting sick too."

"Not a chance," Ingrid smiled, climbing into bed.

"Nobody would go near me last night…as if I had the fucking plague," he said, scooping come soup into his mouth.

"You kind of do have the plague."

"You watch your mouth."

"Hey, I made you chicken soup," she giggled. "Plus, after you're done, I'm giving you a massage. You should be thankful."

Adam's eyebrows rose. "A massage?" Ingrid nodded her head. "You're something else."

"Somebody who wrestled a 20 minute match with the plague deserves it."

The couple ate in relative silence. Ingrid stayed nestled into Adam's side while he slurped his soup and drank his orange juice. It was quiet, and not a word was said between them, but to Ingrid, everything about it was perfect. She couldn't believe that it was Adam she was cuddled up against; Adam who she had gone to see at a show last night; Adam who she made chicken noodle soup for. It was all so surreal to her. She didn't know if she would ever be able to get used to it.

When he was finished, Adam took the tray and laid it on the floor. Ingrid watched as his face grimaced from the pain of bending over, as slight as it was.

"You want your massage now, baby?" she asked quietly.

"Not yet," Adam mumbled. "I just wanna lie here with you for a bit," he said, wrapping his arms around her, making Ingrid feel completely at home.


	9. You can't banish me! This is my bed too!

**_"You can't banish me! This is my bed too!"_**

* * *

Ingrid loved mornings when it was just her and Adam in bed, and she didn't have to worry about the Young Bucks bursting into the room, phone calls from Gavin or anyone else associated with the press for the movie, or any other distractions. She could get used to sleeping in, to waking up intertwined with Adam's limbs, their bodies pressed against each other as if one would let go, the other would disappear.

Still officially on the press tour for the movie, and the unofficial 'campaign trail' for the handful of awards she was already nominated for, Adam had flown out to Los Angeles to spend a weekend with her. They hadn't seen each other in almost three weeks, and it had been killing the both of them.

"G'morning beautiful," Adam mumbled, his lips grazing her skin as he pulled her closer, virtually dragging her body on top of his. "Did you sleep well?"

Ingrid nodded her head, her unruly curly hair falling onto his chest. "It's always good when you're around."

"Oh yeah?" Adam smirked. "I bet the workout you got last night helped too," he winked.

"Mmmmm, definitely," Ingrid grinned.

"Do you go crazy like me when we're not with each other?" he asked.

"You know I do," Ingrid said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I wish we could be like this all the time. You. Me. _Alone_."

Adam smiled. "What do you do when you're all alone in these hotels rooms with no-one around?" Adam asked.

Ingrid grinned, biting her bottom lip. She knew exactly what he was doing. "When I'm alone? I start touching myself."

"Oh yeah? Where?" Adam asked, his voice husky. Ingrid could feel his hands starting to wander up her body.

"First, I do this…" Ingrid said, bringing her hand to her breast, caressing it. She could already feel Adam start to get hard. "And I think about those big, strong hands all over my body…"

"And then?"

"And then, my hands go lower…and lower…" she moved her hand simultaneously, so that it was dangerously close to his growing erection. "And when I start touching myself…I'm thinking of Brad Pitt."

Adam's eyes immediately went wide. "What did you just say?"

"He's much more handsome in person," Ingrid smiled mischievously. "You'll see him one day at one of the awards ceremonies."

Adam was incredulous. "Did you seriously just…I'm about to banish you from this bed."

 **"You can't banish me! This is my bed too!"** Ingrid fought.

In one swift movement, Adam had rolled them and picked up Ingrid, flinging her over his shoulder as she yelped. Adam walked through the hotel room and kicked open the bathroom door as Ingrid continued to scream each time he pretended to drop her. When he finally did, it was straight into the bathtub – except she wouldn't let him go, dragging him down with her in a fit of giggles.

"You're evil," Adam said as he lay on top of her, kissing the tip of her nose as she continued to laugh at their predicament, "and you're lucky I love you."


	10. Ladies love a guy who's good with kids

**_"The ladies love a guy who's good with kids."_**

* * *

Ingrid couldn't keep her eyes off of Adam as he played with Carrie and Danny, Matt Jackson's son and daughter. Matt was gracious enough to invite both Gavin and Ingrid to his daughter's fifth birthday party, and both were due to attend. However, at the last minute, Gavin had to pull out to attend some meeting in Los Angeles. It didn't stop him from sending Carrie a huge gift, but it meant Ingrid was there alone.

Well, alone with the Bucks and Adam Cole.

Matt's wife Alison was busy in the kitchen decorating Carrie's cake, and Matt was helping her and setting up everything else. Ingrid was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and family room, watching as Adam sat with Carrie, Danny in his lap, and played chef with her. He was being so animated while flipping the plastic pancakes and pretending to put the spatula in his ponytail.

"What do you _mean_ I can't put the spatula in my hair?!" he exclaimed as Carrie giggled. "I thought you could!"

"Nooooooo!" Carrie said in between giggles. "It gets dirty in your hair! Then the pancakes will have hair!"

"You mean pancakes aren't supposed to have hair in them?"

"EEEWWWW!" she exclaimed through even more giggles.

 **"The ladies love a guy who's good with kids,"** Matt whispered in Ingrid's ear as he snuck up behind her with the fruit platter in his hands.

"What are you even talking about?" she asked, but he only grinned at her and walked away.

Ingrid huffed, looking behind her to see Alison putting the finishing touches on the cake. "Do you need any help, Alison?" Ingrid asked as she walked into the kitchen. "This cake looks amazing. You might have to make mine when my birthday rolls around."

"Thanks girl," Alison smiled, "but I'm all good here. You can go back to ogling Adam."

Ingrid's jaw dropped. "I was _not_ ogling Adam," she tried to defend herself.

"You were practically drooling at the mouth," Alison smiled. "I mean, it's okay, I get it – he's a total babe -"

"I was _NOT -_ "

"Don't try and fight me on this. Have you been giving him signals? Has he been giving _you_ signals?" Alison asked, getting excited.

"Besides the fact that he's completely annoyed with me? That's the only thing he's made abundantly clear," Ingrid said.

"Trust me, he's not annoyed with you," Alison said.

"You're not training with him day in, day out," Ingrid replied. "I mean, he has his moments, but most of the time it's as if he wants nothing to do with me."

"You have me there, but I can guarantee you he doesn't hate you. Adam just…takes a while to get used to things. You'll see. I bet he likes you a lot more than you think."

Ingrid snorted. "I don't think so."


End file.
